Baltimore Problems and Liberal Guilt Assuagement

Sit Down and Shut Up

I’m a pasty white, college educated, middle class, conservative American. Right up at the top I acknowledge those facts disqualify me from having an opinion about anything.

I am, however, a woman and someone who has experienced hair prejudice. In addition I am 50, taller than average, heavier than a plus-size model, and Mormon. Given those inherent injustices and inequalities, perhaps I will be allowed to use my brain on a matter in which I am not personally involved, yet still concerned.

With that said, I will cautiously proceed.

The Guilt Guidelines

The progressive guilt assuagement pattern is a variant of “symbolism over substance.” It goes something like this:

I feel bad that I have more money or resources or education or comfort or food or whatever than others.

I don’t like to be uncomfortable because of these feelings.

I don’t want to sacrifice my own lifestyle or resources in order to solve the problems over which I feel such shame. (“Shame” being one of my top 100 favorite words of all time.)

Therefore I will promote legislation that redistributes primarily someone else’s resources toward the cause I “care” so much about.

In doing so I feel better.

Whether or not the legislation actually solves the problem or serves a real purpose isn’t relevant—and I refuse to discuss that aspect rationally—because I have done “my part” and therefore am absolved of guilt. And my guilt it what matters.

If anyone tries to rationally discuss the efficacy of my guilt-resolving legislation—perish the thought—I will use my best ad hominem to beat them to a pulp. (Long experience shows that terms that end in -ist and -phobe have the highest probability of shutting down all discussion immediately!)

Party time!

As “the good democrat” said in a (public) Facebook conversation:

…charities will never be stable enough, large enough, with the full capability required, to help all, or at least most, of the poor of any given country. They will always lag behind the capability of governmental programs…The beauty is that, because I am one of 300 million, my cost to providing these wonderful services is low. I can go on living my life knowing that I have helped out millions of people without breaking my own bank or anyone else’s bank.

Nice. I can “help” millions without even noticing that I’m doing it! Sign me up!

Easy progressive examples of rhetoric over realism are when Barrack Obama decries income inequality while spending over $44,000,000 on vacations (as of last summer) or when Al Gore decries the use of automobiles to commute to work while flying around the world on his private jet to do so.

It’s what you say, not what you do that counts in the progressive world. And, of course, the elites are exempt from their own rules. But no matter, because the feels!

When it comes to Baltimore, the guilt-assuagement-without-personal-cost mentality rears it’s head again. We have a plethora of outspoken liberals clamoring to be heard expressing “sympathy” and “understanding” to those “protestors” who loot, destroy, and commit arson. (I’m unsure how these other whities—in their privileged worlds—have been granted credentials and wisdom to decipher the complexities of black racist oppression, but I suppose as long as they agree with Al Sharpton, that is cred enough.) They are speaking up! They are taking action! They are assuaging reams of guilt with the turn of a phrase!

These social media and policy “activists” can sleep at night knowing they’ve done their part for the cause by:

Posting statuses and blog posts that say they totally get it and would never condemn it.

Voting for legislation that will take more stuff from other people who earned the stuff to give the causes they feel guilty about.

Blessed peace!

Yes, yes, I know you don’t actually “support” or “encourage” the violence and carnage, but you feel it in your soul. You understand that it cannot (and should not) be helped—because some people have less stuff than you.

Cliff Notes

Here are a few synoptic facts about the Baltimore riots (that, of course, are endlessly debatable):

On April 12, 2015, a 25-year-old black man named Freddie Gray was again arrested for having a switchblade in his pocket. (Apparently Baltimore has an inane law that prohibits “gravity knives.” This is something conservatives should hate, but liberals should love.)

He walked into the paddy wagon but in transport to the police station Gray’s spine was “80% severed” at his neck, he had three fractured vertebrae, and his larynx was injured.

He became comatose.

He died in surgery.

The police commissioner noted several procedural problems with the police officers involved.
Six Baltimore police officers (five men, one woman) were put on paid leave in order to investigate.

Some protested the perceived injustice and apparent racism of yet another black man killed at the hands of police officers.

A subset of protests became violent and destructive on April 25th, with 34 arrests and 15 officers (obviously not the ones on paid leave) injured.

After Gray’s funeral on April 27, unrest intensified, with vandalism, looting, and arson. Governor Larry Hogan declared a state of emergency and deployed the National Guard.

Gray’s mother said, “To see that it turned into all this violence and destruction, I am really appalled.“

Liberals of all colors begin collective weeping for the thugs who were burning down the city because they were, again, victims of racism and oppression.

Common Questions

Does Gray’s death sound suspicious?

Yes. I have never known anyone to nearly sever their spinal column while being “in transport” in a vehicle unless that vehicle was in a violent crash. Some speculate the injuries occurred during a “nickel ride” and the police commissioner confirmed that Gray was not in a seat belt. Plenty of suspicion.

At least one anonymous person claiming to be an uninvolved Baltimore police officer says there is another side to the story:

Is his/her story trued? Of course I don’t know. But isn’t it foundational in the United States that we are innocent until proven guilty? And wouldn’t this proof require us, at very least, to listen to more than one (entirely speculative) version?

Should this be investigated?

Yes. Thoroughly and completely. With facts and unbiased analysis. Without threats. Without lawlessness. Without vigilante justice. Without cronyism. Without decisions made based on public pressure. Like every other suspicious incident.

Should the officers lose their jobs and/or be imprisoned?

Until the facts are known, none of us should claim to know that answer. My opinion is that this looks really bad for the officers and unless there are some incredibly mitigating circumstances, they are toast. But none of us have heard the whole story. Let’s at least be honest about that and wait for it.

We are a country that depends on and demands rule of law. That applies even when we are really bothered and even when we really want to assuage our guilt.

Is Freddie Gray’s criminal record relevant?

Of course. Past behavior is the best predictor of future behavior. Gray had a rap sheet of drug offenses and theft as long as your arm, including multiple arrests in 2015 and going back to 2007. He was known to local cops for bad behavior. He used, manufactured, and distributed narcotics. He stole property. He had a pattern of harming others and disregarding the law.

Our own behavior matters and influences others.

Does Gray’s criminal past mean he “deserved” to die?

This is always one of those ridiculously provocative questions that has no real answer, but only exists to inflame. It means nothing. (Did my dad “deserve to die”? Did Robes “deserve to die”? Come on, people.)

Wouldn’t more progressive policies heal the city?

Baltimore hasn’t had a republican mayor since 1967 nor a republican city council member since 1939. It has the fourth highest tax rate in the nation. It’s working hard to be as progressive as it can get. (And yet poverty, crime, rioting, and looting…)

Isn’t Baltimore a coven of whites who hate blacks?

I think not. In Baltimore the mayor is black, the police chief is black, 9/16th of the city council is black, and a majority of the police force are minorities.

Is it possible the officers were racist?

Yes. It’s also possible that they are biased against repeat criminal offenders, biased against young men, biased against people who hang out in known drug distribution areas, etc.

As I began to write this post a number of days ago, I could find no reference to the races of the six officers. Today, as I prepared to publish the post, the officers’ identities were revealed. Three of the six officers indicted are black. So how does that play out with all the race baiters? What does this mean for the liberal hue and cry excusing the criminals roaming the city?

If this was a hate crime, shouldn’t the officers be duly punished?

I’m not really a fan of “hate crimes.” The category implies a number of odd things:

The other crimes are “love crimes” or at least emotionally-neutral crimes.

People are less dead if killed by someone who didn’t “hate” them for being in a particular (protected) class.

We can actually divine motive.

How about we convict people for crimes and provide appropriate punishment/correction?

Is it possible the officers were intentionally brutal?

Yes. Power often corrupts. Anger often provokes. But if they were, what is the appropriate response in America?

Is it possible the officers broke the law in how they dealt with Gray?

Yes. There were at least some disturbing protocol problems. That’s what investigation is for.

Is it possible the officers unjustly pursued Gray only because of his past?

Yes. If you know someone to be untrustworthy and you see them in a compromising situation, you might be suspicious. But you could still be wrong.

Is it possible that Gray’s own actions after his arrest required brute force?

Yes. People often resist arrest and threaten/antagonize police officers. Particularly people who have embraced a lifestyle of disregard for the law. Most protesters/organizers/sympathizers have no clue about law enforcement. At least there are some (like Jarrett Maupin) who have the intellectual integrity to admit this.

Is it possible that brute force could have resulted in his death without it being a miscarriage of justice?

Yes. Police should not be obligated to be maimed or killed by a suspect.

Shouldn’t we worry more about the people than the property?

This is a classic false dilemma.

The position is that we must “focus” on Freddie Gray’s tragic death and we must get our fuzzy feelies on for the “disenfranchised” thugs who have a laundry list of reasons why they would use someone’s death as an excuse to pillage because they are people.

The position asserts that completing both of those imposed tasks precludes us from noticing that, well, pillaging might be a bad thing. And we can’t, of course, note that it’s particularly bad when the object of your aggression is utterly unrelated to the people you were supposedly harmed by. (In conservative parlance, those are “innocent victims.” In liberal circles they are “the complicit privileged.”)

It also ignores the fact that car owners and home owners and business owners and business employees are actually human beings, too. Humans who are harmed by criminal behavior. Humans who deserve to be safe in their cities and live their lives without the threat of thugs taking away their livelihoods and threatening their lives. Humans who had nothing whatsoever to do with the death of Freddie Gray.

Of course, we’re not supposed to care about or talk about the pain and harm of law-abiding citizens, because liberalism has a very selective bleeding heart. And those human beings don’t matter.

In other words, even though we cannot accurately judge the suspicious death that we did not see and do not have details about (yet), we must condemn the officers involved. Now. And ever though we can see masses of people in live footage smashing cars, looting businesses, and burning buildings, we can never condemn them. Ever.

A virtual friend of mine, Jonathan Gentry, has no problem calling out “the freeloader and the leach” with no sugar coating.

What did you do, besides loot, riot, and act the fool and burn up police cars in your own neighborhood.

Amen, brother.

What about the “hypocrisy” of those who condone post-game “celebrating” while condemning protest violence?

It’s weird, but I don’t recall a whole slew of privileged whities (particularly not conservative ones) who cheered on ghastly displays of drunken brawling and burning after sporting events. Can someone point me to these thug apologists?

I may be wrong, but I’m guessing that anyone who made excuses for that kind of vandalism and destruction was a progressive and likely of the same ilk who are now making excuses for the current Baltimore lawlessness.

If I’m right, we can at least celebrate progressive consistency in supporting bad behavior and conservative consistency in condemning it?

Don’t you understand the race oppression?

No. I’m about as white as a white can be. I’m embarrassingly white. I’m so white I have long been the poster child for proving how awesome other skin looks. (As in, “Alison, hold your arm up next to mine so everyone can see my gorgeous tan.”) I’m about as far away from being discriminated against for having melanin as has ever been created.

I have been teased relentlessly for my freckles. (Does that count?) As a kid I used to sneak past my mom (aka “the woman who put UVAL in business” (UVAL is pretty much the original sunscreen from the olden days before anyone normal ever wore sunscreen)) to “lay out” in the back yard (becoming nothing but second degree crispy fried) hoping that my freckles would “fill in” so I could look normal. (It didn’t work.) But anyway…no. I’m the white version of this man. I’m über white.

In addition to not being oppressed for being black (because I’m on the opposite spectrum), I do not understand race oppression because it’s impossible to understand. It makes no sense at all. It’s a color, for the love of pete. My entire life I’ve been baffled at the fact that some people actually care about a color so much. Whether it’s skin or hair or another body part, it’s just a color. How can anyone be that rationally impaired?

It’s true that “my people” (that would be the Irish, thank you) were vilified, stereotyped, enslaved, and discriminated against in many ways (Celts were thought to be genetically inferior to Anglo-Saxons) and “my people” (the Mormons) were killed and run out of town (again and again, along with the awesome extermination order courtesy of Governor Boggs). But I was raised to learn about the past as history and move forward.

Yes, I’ve still experienced a measure of discrimination for my religion and gender and complexion and hair and visual impairment and weight and a few other things. More than some, but far less than others. My job, as my parents put it, was to simply get to work. Work to improve my skills. Work to prove my capabilities. Work to disprove any prejudice or misconception (for whatever reason) I might encounter to the best of my ability. Any remaining vestiges of prejudice I encountered were simply part of life, a barrier but not a determiner.

The odd thing to me is that with so many examples of blacks who have displayed real power by becoming educated, displaying integrity, serving others, and working hard in this country, why do so many liberals still think most blacks can’t follow that same path?

Why do we pander to these thuggish displays of power to grant them legitimacy? Why don’t we promote morality, goodness, intelligence, loyalty, responsibility, competence, self-reliance, and other good things that truly empower individuals and benefit society as a whole?

No, I don’t have all the answers to inner-city problems. Some people are speaking up with ideas which can be discussed and refined. But they can be solved and it starts with changing hearts and minds and families.

The Challenge

Your pseudo activism in the form of verbally (or legislatively) supporting harmful, destructive behavior in the name of solidarity proves nothing. A substantive response would require personal involvement and, yes, personal sacrifice. So those of you who really want to do something to help the poor thugs, get off your Facebook high horse and do this:

Send me your home address. (Please note: your home address is the place you live, not someone else’s address, the address of your ex, the address of a one-percenter, or the address of someone you think has too much.) I will add it at the bottom of this post. By doing so you agree that anyone from Baltimore (or anywhere else) who is frustrated, angry, disenfranchised, bothered by voter ID laws, or otherwise needs to physically express their moral outrage and aggression toward authority will have free reign to loot, pillage, and destroy your home.

After all, isn’t that what you are demanding of the law-abiding people of Baltimore?

Thanks for the detailed analysis of this situation and how it fits with liberalism. I think we see some of the same people on Facebook who are trying so hard to look cool and sound with it but they just sound dumb. They can’t explain themselves, but they want to be part of the in crowd.

i really can’t believe you would argue that this isn’t racism. The number of young black men being murdered in the streets by white cops is skyrocketing. Instead of try…just try…to understand how it is to be in the shoes of the underclass you will just blame the victim. This is just more proof of your white privilege and inability to have empathy for those who cannot speak for themselves. Well i do speak for them Miss Smith. I speak for the black man and the black woman. I stand with them and say NO MORE NO MORE. They matter and they will not be killed. I know you won’t show my comment because you are afraid of truth and just want to sit in your little white morman bubble.

Your ancestors experienced an injustice that is so heinous that it can NEVER be made right. I think it is evil, to the core, to suggest that we are somehow making restitution on their behalf by allowing people to ravage a city and harm the innocent. I wonder how many of those shop owners, car owners, etc. who have been violated by this violence are also Black?

I think I get the point you are trying to make, Alison. On the other hand, I grew up being the person who also was demeaned, over and over, as other people compared their skin color to mine to feel better about their fantastic golden-glowing selves. In fact, my fellow White children – and their parents – teased me constantly due to the color (or lack thereof) of my skin. “When was the last time you went outside?” “I’d rather have a red sunburn than be THAT White!” “Oh look… you’re so… porcelain” “Don’t your parents take you anywhere fun?” “Hahaha OMG look how tan I am compared to you!” “You know, being tan makes you look thinner” “Do you even TRY to tan?” “This dress is washes you out – it’s made for people with an olive complexion” I think it’s terrible to be embarrassed, especially by something that is literally out of one’s control. I grew up ashamed of my skin color. I desperately laid out in the sun and under artificial lamps, in vain, to become tan only to increase my chances of skin cancer. I spent thousands on lotions promising to make me look like everyone else, only to end up looking like an oompa loompa. It sounds funny, but it isn’t. A child should not cry, ever, because children and grown adults alike shame them over something they cannot control. Somehow this is PC, though, because I’m White.

I WILL say one thing about Baltimore. I lived in DC for the better part of a decade and visited Baltimore often. I’m sorry to say it, but as a federal agent’s wife, based on what I have both seen and heard, I am not surprised by all of this. Maryland has a HORRIBLE reputation. Did you know that when it rains, the people are taxed? The justification for this? “The rain that falls off of your house goes into the city’s storm drain.” Maybe if they stopped taxing the hell out of their citizens, everyone wouldn’t be so angry and impoverished… but if they did that, their politicians would have to stop buying tripped out Escalades and mansions on the backs of the people (yes, this happens).

IdRatherNotSay, I don’t disagree with you at all, but (as you also said) no one ever grants the same level of victimhood to people who are too white to be cool. 🙂 Even if their ancestors were also slaves! And if we go on a smash and grab, I’m pretty sure HuffPo and Salon won’t be crying about our inevitable arrest.

Maybe if they stopped taxing the hell out of their citizens, everyone wouldn’t be so angry and impoverished… but if they did that, their politicians would have to stop buying tripped out Escalades and mansions on the backs of the people…

Amen…but…your solution is a conservative one. And Baltimore voters just keep voting for progressives who will give them free stuff. They just don’t see the conflict between free and freedom. :/Alison Moore Smith recently posted…Women at Church: Translating Gendered Doctrine

I hope you will someday reconsider this epic post of nonsense because it is frankly embarrassing. You don’t know the first thing about Baltimore, its history or its people yet you spew out the kind of hatred one can hear on Fox news nightly as if it is gospel.

Aaron, thank you for such a specific and carefully worded critique. It was incredibly helpful.

P.S. I don’t have access to Fox News right now, other than YouTube clips I might come across. If you have something specific about spewed hate, feel free to use actual quotes. That tends to work better than sweeping generalizations.Alison Moore Smith recently posted…Women at Church: Translating Gendered Doctrine

Don’t worry my sweet bae Aaron, you don’t have to read the article before you leave angry comments. We know it’s hard for liberals to focus for that long. Just keep calling other people haters. That’s what works!

applause to jarrett maupin for having the guts to be honest after he screamed about the cops. most people have no idea how dangerous it would be if cops couldnt use their weapons because they were afraid to be arrested. stupid protestors.

Who gives a flying rat’s behind about Baltimore’s history at a time like this? If anything, that should make you more upset about the looting/arson because historical sites have probably been destroyed in this wave of anarchy.

Fox News cannot possibly irritate you more than it irritates me – but facts are facts. Whether you are liberal or conservative, a group of criminals have been destroying a city (is this still going on? I’m not even following it). Innocent people and their livelihoods are suffering. Children are in harm’s way.

I’ll say what I said to TaylorT. If this is okay with you, regardless of whichever ridiculous excuse is being used for the behavior, then there is no reasoning with you.

I never leave comments on people’s blogs or articles online, but I felt I should this one time. I just want to say that after reading this article and comments, it really does make me disappointed and a little sad. I came across this blog after doing some research about Mormonism and saw this particular article and thought it might be interesting. I don’t agree with a lot of the points made in the article, but I don’t feel the need to list them because I’m not trying to change anyone’s mind or beliefs… we all live in this world and see and/or experience similar things and if you walk away with a different take than I do, no problem. The thing that really bothers me that I feel was expressed in this blog post and in an overwhelming majority of the comments, is the lack of compassion and humility. Just because you aren’t speaking directly to someone’s face, doesn’t excuse rudeness and belittling. Liberal or conservative, demonizing one group for the current state of affairs and then trying to prove your point with snide comments, doesn’t prove a thing. It’s a complex issue with roots that go very deep, deeper than you may be aware of. If we all just came from a more open place of compassion and most importantly, humility, and remembered we don’t have all the answers, and they probably aren’t going to be simple ones, I think everyone would benefit.

alexandra, I’m not a real fan of nice when it replaces truth and allows harm. That said, you’re going to have to be more specific if you want to slam me. (Goodness, how un-nice of you to criticize me and call me names! I’m going to go cry in my corner now.)

Alison Moore Smith- Slam? You feel that my comment slammed you? I think that is an exaggeration. Call you names? I didn’t call anyone a name. My post was directed at you AND the majority of the comments made. I think you missed the point when I was speaking about humility… that is evident from your comment about “not being a fan of nice when it replaces truth.” I assume it must feel very comfortable and easy to feel you understand and know what the “truth” is. I’d truly like to address your last two questions about compassion and solving the problem, but based on your response, I have little faith that you can, or most importantly, want to speak about the actual issue as opposed to (what I view as) take the easier way out and continue to spew sarcasm, aggression, and abrasiveness. What I see is you making a whole bunch of noise and wrapping your posts and replies in nonsense, so that maybe the lack of substance will be overlooked.

I’m unsure you actually read the piece, given that you’ve offered no specifics.

lack of compassion

lack of humility

rudeness

belittling

demonizing

These are your words, alexandra. You can label them as you like. 🙂

I think you missed the point when I was speaking about humility… that is evident from your comment about “not being a fan of nice when it replaces truth.”

Perhaps you can connect those two things? I was speaking about your call for compassion. I have lots of compassion. In this case I have compassion for innocent, uninvolved store owners who had their places of business ransacked and pillaged, for people who are convicted by social media without facts being known, etc. So, like I said (and as the linked post shows), I’m not in favor of making up stuff in order to pretend to be nice. First, because I don’t think that’s actually nice and, second, because I think it’s wrong and harmful. (And I have compassion for those harmed.)

I assume it must feel very comfortable and easy to feel you understand and know what the “truth” is.

Honey, if you want to talk about wrapping stuff in nonsense, here it is. This statement means nothing. Yes, I recognize it’s nothing wrapped in ad hominem, but it’s still nothing.

Let’s just please note that you seem to think you know what truth is as well, or you wouldn’t be here chastising me about it, right?

I’d truly like to address your last two questions about compassion and solving the problem, but based on your response, I have little faith that you can, or most importantly, want to speak about the actual issue as opposed…

“I could tell you, I just don’t want to.” When that comes up—outside of the elementary school playgrounds—it generally means you don’t have an answer. You could say, “I think you should feel compassion for X, because Y.” That’s just an idea.Alison Moore Smith recently posted…Lifestyle Hacks: Increased Productivity With Personalized Routines

Your 8 steps to guilt assuagement are exactly what I’ve seen among my friends. I feel bad so I need to make _someone else_ fix the problem. It’s odd that LDS progressives can think that. (It’s odd they can be progressives, really.)